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Exploration
Orbite (TSX VENTURE:ORT.A - News) is pleased to announce
that it has successfully produced its first ton of high purity alumina and
has done so ahead of schedule and on budget. This first ton was produced at
the company's pilot facility in Cap-Chat, QC, using the company's patented
process that marks an important technological quantum step forward.
"Producing
our first ton of high purity alumina is a major breakthrough for Orbite because it proves definitely that the innovative
process we have developed is viable and suited to large scale production. It
brings us that much closer to a new metallurgical alumina production facility
and a high purity alumina production facility with very high added value. We
are consequently very confident about the future of the Company and its
products, since these results have exceeded our expectations. This recent
progress is the result of many years of hard work and strategic preparation.
For the Orbite team located in Cap-Chat, this
success is particularly evocative of their talent and creativity," said Orbite president and CEO Richard Boudreault.
The
production of this first ton of alumina has also provided an opportunity to
validate critical production cost assumptions and show how efficient and
environmentally friendly the various industrial processes used are. This
first phase also served as a test bed for evaluating and developing
additional technological innovations-for which further patent applications
will now be deposited - further enhancing the corporation's proprietary
production process.
The
metallurgical alumina produced by Orbite would find
users primarily amongst the 10 aluminum smelters operating in Quebec
generating 12% of the world's aluminium production.
Currently, the Quebec aluminum industry imports over 6 million tons of
metallurgical alumina each year for aluminum production, representing some $
3 billion annually and roughly 3% of Quebec's GDP. This market is thus
intended to be the primary target for Orbite's
metallurgical alumina.
The
market for high purity alumina is growing rapidly with market prices reaching
now as much as $300 per kilogram. There are numerous applications for this
type of alumina: production of artificial sapphires for fiber optic
communications systems and the microelectronic industry, substrates for
integrated circuits and light emitting diodes (LEDs), the coating of missile
cones, and bioceramics for prostheses and implants.
LED lighting is a growing market segment as demand for their domestic,
commercial, and automotive applications are skyrocketing.
Next
steps
"Orbite has demonstrated conclusively that its production
facility is able to produce a ton of alumina per day. The coming weeks will
be used to optimize operations," said Joel Fournier, Vice President
Technology.
The
coming months will be devoted to sustaining the proper functioning of the
facility, to R&D, and readying the company's first industrial plant for
production of at least 500 metric tons of metallurgical alumina per day. In
addition, when the pilot production facility has completed its mandate, its
production capabilities will be upgraded and switched solely towards high
purity alumina.
Some
of the metallurgical alumina produced at the plant during the pilot project
phase is expected to be sent to a Quebec aluminum smelter for testing in its
aluminum production operations.
Grande-Vallee Property Site expansion
Fifty-three
additional claims next to the Company's Grande-Vallee
property have expanded its holdings from approximately 3457 hectares to 6,441
hectares. The property, located 20 kilometers south of Grande-Vallee, covers a wide swath of argillaceous rock running
some 18 kilometers.
About
Orbite
Orbite
owns 100% of the mining rights on its Grande-Vallee
property, the site of an aluminous clay deposit located 32 km northeast of Murdochville, and a 28,000 sq. ft. facility in Cap Chat,
both in the Gaspe region. The Company also owns the intellectual rights to a
unique Canada and U.S.-patented process for extracting alumina from aluminous
clays for which other international patents are also pending. The Company has
cash assets of more than $13.5 million. www.explorationorbite.com.
Contact:
HKDP Communications
and Public Affairs
MEDIA:
Frederic Berard, Attorney
Special Advisor
514-395-0375, ext. 259
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